Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“They say be careful what you wish for, or it might come true.
It seemed so stupid to me because why would I be careful about the things I wanted?
Some wishes, though, are meant to shatter our lives and break us in ways we never see coming.
Too bad I realized it too late.”
Lavender
Lavender
I rest my back against the leather seat, looking out the window at the ever-changing scenery. The piano music from the radio is the only thing interrupting the silence inside the car.
We’ve been on the road for almost half an hour now, and neither of us has said a word, which is a disturbing fact in itself.
I glance at the message flashing on my phone’s screen.
Aileen and Emmaline sent a photo to the group chat, smiling into the frame while holding their coffee cups.
Wish you were here.
Guilt once again washes over me at the fact that I ditched them, and that’s probably against the whole girl code thing, as well, that Scarlett mentioned earlier about friendship.
“Stop it.” I almost jump out of my seat at Levi’s harsh yet firm tone, and my head swings to him as his palm glides over the steering wheel.
He turns to the right, driving us on a road with endless trees on either side of it.
The veins popping on his forearms shouldn’t be doing things to me right now, but they remind me of when his arms were locked around my body.
Get a grip, woman!
“What do you mean?”
“Stop feeling guilty about lunch.” Is everyone a mind reader around me, or is my face that expressive?
“They won’t cry into their pillows because you missed it.
They love you, but they have better things to do.
” Commenting on the fact that, to love me they’d have to know me, so it’s impossible, seems useless, so I keep my mouth shut.
“Won’t be surprised if she decides to buy the whole bridal shop so she can choose a dress in peace.
She’s our little perfectionist.” A rare, soft smile graces his lips that lets me know how much he adores Aileen.
“That sounds like something Rush would love to do for her,” I reply tentatively, and watch him tense at the mention of my brother’s name.
“He’d do anything for her, you know.” Aileen has her own fortune, though my brother never gives her the chance to use it.
In fact, I think they even had a huge argument with Lachlan over it.
“Whatever my woman needs, I will provide.” I think that was what he said, which earned him a few glares here and there.
“He’d do anything for her, indeed.” Since his voice stays neutral, it’s hard for me to judge if it’s sarcasm or not. “I don’t want to talk about my sister and your brother right now. The topic tends to piss me off.”
“And you always expect people to do whatever you want?”
“Most of the time, yes. I have enough money and power to ensure that.”
“Your family has money. You did nothing to earn your fortune, yet you thrive in the power it gives you?” To be fair, I’m not one to talk. We all grew up in rich dynasties. Still, I don’t go around bragging that everyone should bend to my will if I so wish. “Your arrogance is astonishing.”
He presses on the accelerator, and my fingers curl into my arms when the car moves rapidly toward what still seems to be an empty space.
“What’s bigger arrogance? Using the opportunities life has given you or acting like wealth and power have no meaning and true happiness lies in some greater good? ”
“They say money can’t buy happiness.”
“Yet people would prefer to cry in mansions rather than on the streets. I wonder why. It’s the biggest lie you know.”
Since he hops from topics so fast, I clarify, “What?”
“That money can’t buy happiness. When you don’t have it, you’re in survival mode and it’s dictated by the fact that your basic needs cannot be met.
That makes a person vulnerable to all the vultures out there ready to use their weaknesses against them.
In the search for a better future, people take risks that sometimes cost them their lives. ”
I don’t miss how the muscle on his cheek twitches, and an unreadable expression settles on his features. For a second, he gives me a glimpse of the steel-like character that hides beneath the person he shows to the world.
“I have a question. Do you hate people or something? You seem to have a warped opinion about them in most cases.”
“Humans are selfish by nature, and pretending to see them through rose-colored glasses won’t change that.” He looks at me. “But you already know that, don’t you?”
The hot poker digs into my skin, and my scream fills the room as unbearable pain slams into me from every corner. Jade wraps his hand around my throat tight, holding me in place, and grins while tears stream down my bruised flesh. “Now, no one will have you but me.”
Tearing my gaze away from Levi, I brush my cheek, willing the horrible memory to go away and focus on the road.
Only to gasp at the iron gates ahead that seem to be spreading for miles and miles, surrounding a three-level white castle straight from dark fairy tales.
The high arches and rectangular roof stand out under the beaming sunset, which casts a special kind of glow on them. While its beauty should be mesmerizing, it sends shivers down my spine, and goose bumps break out on my skin as if warning me about its secrets.
Beauty can be deceptive, always tempting, and, as such, deadly.
“Where are we?” I ask, sitting up straight as he stops in front of the gates, picks up the remote, and clicks it. The gates slide open with a loud grunting sound that can awaken the dead. No security in sight, either, which only adds to the weird panic spreading inside me. “What are we doing here?”
“Welcome to my castle, Lavender.”
“Your—” I don’t get the chance to react to this information as he flies through the gates, and I’m once again left speechless. The natural perfection opening up to my view is nothing short of stunning and magical.
Rich emerald grass covers the never-ending acres surrounding the massive castle, with sophisticated trees and bushes standing out among them, inviting you to delve deeper into this garden where various flowers, from roses and orchids to azaleas and tulips, bloom.
Their buds create a myriad of colors all around us and draw attention to the maze-like zigzags leading to different flowers, as if inviting you to explore them, yet it’s hard to find their beginning and end.
Flowers seem to grow from the ground near the trees and wrap tightly around them, creating a sense of duality and confusion.
While my landscape design knowledge is limited, nothing in this garden seems… realistic?
Maybe all of it’s fake except that maze.
I imagine the maze has the power to trap anyone in its clutches.
I spot several berries peeking through the bushes, so this garden has food, too? Comes in handy, I guess, once you get trapped, because I can’t imagine not getting lost here.
Rolling down my window, I welcome the soft breeze touching my skin and study the several marble statues, glistening in the sun, and admire the detailed artwork, every facial feature carved to perfection.
For a second, I wonder if they move. Their clothes seem to twitch in the wind, underscoring the artist’s talent. “Who are they?”
The Scott family loves their statues, so they don’t surprise me. They have this huge, unexplainable love for Greek mythology. However, none of these statues remind me of any Greek gods or goddesses.
“That’s Sif.” He points at the statue near us of a long-haired, beautiful goddess wearing a maxi dress.
Even through the statue, you can notice peacefulness and calmness oozing from her.
“If you’re familiar with Norse mythology, she’s a goddess of earth, and according to some scholars, fertility and wedlock. She’s Thor’s wife.”
How could I not know about them?
The god of thunder and his wife were devoted to each other, and the most famous myth about them concerns Loki cutting off her hair, so Thor forced him to replace it with golden locks.
That was what made me like Thor right away.
Still, warning bells start to go off in my head at his comment, but I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on the conversation. Just because my online buddy mentioned this to me doesn’t mean anything.
In fact, how hilarious and stupid the assumption that Levi is Lev would be, right? As if this guy doesn’t have anything better to do than discuss TV shows online with me and listen to all my crap.
Levi had access to the best education in the world. Of course he’d know all these things.
“I know who Sif is.” That’s when I look at all the statues again and realize that they all represent Norse mythology gods from Odin to Freya and Thor, with their respective animals nearby.
My heart squeezes just looking at them as they always cause this warmth in my chest. For whatever reason, I always loved studying about them.
“I thought you guys preferred Greek mythology.”
“My parents do. And while there is a lot to learn from them…I always favored the Norse gods more. Maybe because they helped me during my hardest times.”
That’s so strange to hear in the modern world. “What do you mean?”
“When I was a little boy, my mom would tell me stories about a god of thunder who protected those in need. He was powerful, brave, and stood by his beautiful wife no matter what. I admired him, so I prayed and begged for his help.” His hollow chuckle somehow drops the temperature around us by several degrees, and the air becomes almost suffocating. “And he was the only one who listened.”
Lachlan and Valencia love and adore their children so much that I really can’t wrap my head around Levi needing to pray to the mythical gods as a child. They were my only source of comfort, but he had an entire family to support him.
So what happened?